A/N: I hope it hasn't been too terribly long since my last update. ._." I wasn't lying before when I said how easily distracted I was..XD" Well, enough about me. On with the fic~


The next morning, Keiichi didn't want to get up. He really didn't want to get up. From downstairs, his mom was calling his name. His eyes slowly forced themselves open, despite how badly he wanted them to remain closed. His eyelids felt extremely heavy just like the rest of his tired body. Keiichi sighed and buried his face back in his pillow. He let out a loud, frustrated groan before lifting himself to a sitting position. He rubbed his weary eyes before looking down. Somehow during the night, Satoshi's arms had wound around from behind and hung loosely around his waist. The brunette was too tired to care at the moment. Keiichi pried them off him and rolled out of his futon. He took a second to regain his balance and stability. He let out another sigh and stretched silently. As he stumbled over to his closet, he heard Satoshi stir. Keiichi grabbed his school outfit and began to hastily change. Satoshi's eyes opened and glanced lazily around the room. His eye laid rest to the back of Keiichi who was pulling his shirt over his head. As soon as Satoshi saw a glimpse of bare skin, he immediately flipped over, away from Keiichi. His cheeks grew hot from embarrassment and the feeling of being a creeper of sorts. He pulled the blankets up over his head. Keiichi had heard the other move around and assumed he was now awake.

"Sorry I woke you up. School." Keiichi explained in poor detail due to his exhaustion as he buttoned up his shirt. "As long as you stay in here, you should be fine. Mom usual just cleans or watches TV. Dad's always in a workshop of his. Mom might come up here to clean some, but as long as you hide in the closet or something, you won't be found." Multiple yawns cut off Keiichi's words as he spoke. He raised a hand to his head and sighed. "I have the worst headache right now..." He groaned and tried to shake the pain away. Satoshi meekly peeked his head out from underneath the covers, relieved to see Keiichi was fully clothed now.

"Have a good day at school..." Satoshi wished him. School...the word felt foreign on his tongue. He could vaguely remember...It was a building...this school. At the time, that was all he could muster. The more he tried to remember the more frustrated he got with himself. Why was life before the clinic so hard to remember? He wanted to scowl at himself, but fought the urge successfully.

"Thanks. You get some rest, okay? No one will bother you, I promise." Keiichi told him with a ghost of a smile. He did a small wave before exiting his room, making sure to shut the door behind him. He walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, where his breakfast was waiting for him. As he sat down at the table, he looked up at his mother, who was washing dishes.

"Hey Mom, is it alright if I start doing the laundry around here?" He asked as nonchalantly as he could manage. He picked up his chopsticks while waiting for an answer. His mother looked over her shoulder, one eyebrow cocked in suspicion.

"Well, if you want to. What brought this on?" She asked; her curiosity was piqued. It wasn't like Keiichi to willingly take on work like laundry. Keiichi replied with a small shrug as he shoveled food into his mouth. His mother walked over and placed a hand on his forehead. She withdrew it quickly, a bit stunned.

"I was going to see if you had a fever as a joke, but you really are burning up Keiichi. Do you feel okay?" Her voice was coated with concern. Keiichi most definitely did not feel okay. Staying home, however, would just cause more problems. Besides, it wasn't a fever that was making him feel bad. It was this headache. Then again, the added tiredness was no help either.

"No, I'm fine. Am I that hot?" Keiichi asked with a grin. She smacked him upside his head lightly.

"Well if you feel good enough to make stupid puns, I guess you are fine." She smiled lightly and resumed her work. "Hurry up and eat so you won't be late. You were lagging this morning."

Keiichi glanced up at the clock and nearly spit out his miso. His mom wasn't kidding. He practically inhaled the remainder of his food.

"You're going to choke." His mom commented over her shoulder as she rinsed the last dish. Keiichi waved her way as he chewed; his mouth was too full to talk. He got up and pushed in his chair before sprinting towards the door.

"Have a good day Keiichi," She called out after him, just as the door slammed. She smiled and shook her head. Hopefully he would make it to school in time. Outside, Keiichi had seized his bike and was peddling as fast as he could. He felt like his whole body was on fire; his headache growing increasingly worse.


Satoshi lay there, just hugging the blanket he and Keiichi had shared. It had been a good five minutes since Keiichi left, yet his cheeks still felt warm. Satoshi buried his face further into the warm futon and willed it all away. Ever since Keiichi helped him throw away his worries about attachment, he felt himself growing more and more fond of his keeper. Whether that was a good or bad thing, he wasn't sure. He bit his bottom lip, deep in thought. He was so grateful to Keiichi. He had done so much for the blonde. It made since that Satoshi admired him and wanted to become closer. Yet, the blonde knew he had no reason to be embarrassed over seeing Keiichi's back. That was just…silly. Just the thought made his cheeks warm. He sighed angrily and buried his face in the futon again. It didn't help that it smelled like Keiichi.

Satoshi sat up, a bit peeved with himself. He threw the blankets off of him and slid onto the floor. He wrapped his arms around himself and stared at the door in front of him. It was much colder down here. He let himself fall sideways, in hopes to fall back asleep. He closed his eyes, clearing his mind off all thoughts. He slowly drifted into slumber.

He found himself in that familiar black room. The room of nothingness. He shivered as a chill ran down his spine. A cold wind seemed to travel right through him; his hands found his arms in attempt to keep warm. The breeze blew his hair all around, tousling it every which direction.

"Satoshi…"

He spun around. There was a voice calling his name from behind. Fear gripped him, numbing all of his senses. It was her voice again. That woman. She was here.

"You'll regret it…You'll remember…I'll get you…You'll pay…Satoshi…Satoshi…"

He clasped his hands over his ears and fixed his eyes shut. She wasn't really there. It was all in his head.

"Open your eyes."

Another pang of fear seemed to erupt from inside him as his heart seemed to jump up in his throat. The voice was loud and clear. Before, it seemed ghostly, and was inaudible when covering his ears. That time, it had seemed to penetrate his defenses and shook him to the very core. His hands fell away from his ears and eyes opened as he stood there, stunned. He struggled to keep standing; gravity seemed to be pushing him down. He fought against the invisible force best he could.

"Satoshi."

His knees gave out and he crumpled almost lifeless to the ground. It was chilled against his skin. He could feel someone watching him. That woman…it was her. She was here. This wasn't his imagination. She was invisible, yet he knew she was there, towering over him. She was going to make him pay. He'd escaped her many times before. This time, he had no savior. He had no miracle. He was alone. He was going to die.

"Do you remember, Satoshi? Just what you did to me?"

Satoshi cringed as he felt something cold and bony caress his cheek. It had the likeness of a finger, only it wasn't smooth to the touch. It seemed rough, coarse. The nail seemed to be razor sharp. This hand cupped his chin and forced him to look up into the void. His cheek was caressed once again, this time more force applied. He cringed when the nail seemed to glide across his skin, applying more and more pressure as it travelled.

"Do you…remember?"

He cry was stuck in his throat as the nail dug into his cheek, creating a long scratch down the side. He struggled to tear his face away from his invisible attacker, but he was held firm.

"Is that a no?"

His head was jerked to the side, so his cut was more visible. Satoshi could feel blood oozing from it, dropping onto his, no, Keiichi's shirt.

"I cut you pretty deep…didn't I?"

Satoshi said nothing. He stared into the empty space with as much determination as he could muster. His fear lingered in the back of his mind, pushed away by false hope and courage. The hand caressed his cheek again, lingering over the wound. He bit his lip hard enough it had the potential to bleed as well. His head was jerked in the opposite direction this time. The grip became more forceful and his neck began to ache from all the jerking.

"You deserve much more punishment than this, Satoshi…" It hissed. It felt like a cold breeze hit his ear, even blowing his hair back ever so slightly. He gulped, swallowing the fear that had began to gather inside him once more. The hand that gripped his chin lowered. He could feel each individual finger as they wrapped around his neck. He struggled to breathe as he was lifted up from his sitting position by his neck. His hands fought to pry off the attackers hand, but only touched his own neck and grabbed at air. He couldn't touch them. A low chuckle erupted around him, filling his ears. His feet were lifted a few inches off the ground; all hope he had left was gone. It was becoming harder to breathe. He wanted to scream. Screaming meant breathing, and breathing meant living. He wanted to live. He struggled again, contorting his body in hopes of shaking off his attacker. He reached for the hand again, only to find air. That woman…she chuckled again, lifting him higher into the air.

"Are you hurt…? Pity…"

Satoshi looked down best he could. He could see a shadowy figure now; the figure he wasn't able to see until now. It was indeed a woman. The woman who haunted his dreams since he had Woken.

"Satoshi…You'll pay…"

She continued to talk, repeating his name over and over again. He couldn't make out her features, only her shape. He already knew what she looked like anyway. This wasn't their first encounter.

"Satoshi…Satoshi…Satoshi…"

Satoshi eyes widened and a choked breath escaped his lips. The voice was changing. It was no longer that of a woman's. The figure was twisting and contorting in the void. It was slimming down, taking shape of not a woman but a man. Not only a man, but a boy. Or rather, a teenage boy. His life was being drained away by this person. It was becoming harder and harder to breathe. He struggled some more just as the figure's transformation was complete. Satoshi stared down at it, willing is eyes to stay open. If he closed them now, they may never open again. He wasn't sure what had a tighter grip on him at the moment; fear, or his attacker? This had never happened before. Never had it changed from this woman. It was always her. Who was it now?

"Satoshi…"

Everything grew numb again. The grip around his neck tightened, but he no longer choked out a sound. He knew that voice.

Crimson eyes opened in the darkness, malicious and amused. They seemed to pierce right through Satoshi's eyes and right into his soul.

He knew these eyes. He knew them oh so well.

"You're afraid, aren't you Satoshi?"

A small chuckle was heard and glints of amusement could be seen in those eyes. The attacker squeezed Satoshi's neck again, cutting off all air. He was loosing consciousness. Everything was becoming foggy and splotched with even more black. Those scarlet eyes bore into him, making him feel so cold.

"You're afraid…of yourself, aren't you? Of these…memories…you have locked away…locked away…"

A strained gasp escaped his lips and his eyes wrung shut. He opened them hastily and glared down at the attacker.

"You…you're…not…me…"

He managed to choke out. The attacker laughed a genuinely laugh, one that terrified Satoshi. It was his voice. Those were his eyes. This was him. The figure was no longer a shadow. Instead, it was him. He was staring back at himself, just as he lost his consciousness.

"You can't run from us forever…Satoshi…"

Then everything went black.


Keiichi sighed and rested his head on his school desk. The day was half over, and his headache still failed to get better.

"Keiichi-kun, are you sure you're okay?" Rena asked in a hushed whisper under Chie's lecture. Keiichi glanced over at her and smiled best he could.

"I told you I was. Don't worry."

Rena didn't look convinced, but said no more none-the-less. Mion slapped Keiichi's back, jolting him up from surprise.

"Be a man," She joked, causing him to smile once more. He looked over his shoulder at her, and she grinned.

"But, seriously," Her face suddenly went to a more serious one, "if you don't feel well, you can always go home."

Keiichi waved her away and turned back around. He already survived half a day, there was no reason he couldn't survive the rest.

"Besides, if I go home and get sick, Satoshi will worry. That kid has enough issues…" He told himself as he laid his head down again. Chie began to pass around school work sheets over what they just discussed. Keiichi sighed as he took his. He wrote his name across the top and began to work, willing his headache to just go away.

The rest of his day passed by agonizingly slow. When the final bell rang for his dismissal, he couldn't wait to leave.

"Are we having club today?" Keiichi asked Mion as she pushed in her chair. Mion looked up at him, and appeared to study him. She shook her head no.

"You don't look good at all Keiichi. Go home and rest. If you feel better, we'll have it tomorrow." She told him with a grin. "Besides, I'd have to leave early today anyway. Work."

Keiichi nodded.

"Have fun," He told her as she gathered her stuff. She uttered her thanks as Keiichi walked out the door. Rena, Satoko, and Rika were all waiting in the hallway.

"Keiichi-san, you're not staying for club? Tired of losing?" Satoko teased, her hands on her hips.

"Satoko, don't be mean to Keiichi-san. He isn't feeling well." Rika scolded her friend with a shake of her head.

"No club today anyway, Mion has work." Keiichi explained briefly, raising a hand to his head. "Satoko, you should be glad. That means I won't have a chance to beat you today," He joked. Satoko's mouth dropped open and she stomped her foot.

"You know I'd win. You're just saying that." She defended herself. Everyone let out giggles, even Keiichi. The brunette patted the small blonde's head.

"I think you're bluffing,"

Satoko looked up at him from underneath his hand and gave a small smile. A breath caught in Keiichi's throat. When she smiled like that, it was almost parallel to Satoshi's. He withdrew his hand, almost in a daze. Rena's head fell to one side.

"Keiichi-kun, you're starting to look worse…"

Rika stared up at him and nodded. Never had any of them seen Keiichi look quite this exhausted. This was worse than the time he forgot about the essay Chie assigned and he stayed up all night doing it. He looked seriously beat.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." He reassured them all best he could.

"Let's go on, Keiichi-kun. I think you need to go home…" Rena spoke softly and tugged nervously at his sleeve. Keiichi waved bye to Rika and Satoko as he and Rena began to walk away. For a second, Keiichi mistook Satoko for Satoshi, only realizing seconds later it was his eyes playing tricks on him. He tore his gaze away from the pair and continued to walk with Rena. He grabbed his bike on the way out and walked it home, side by side with Rena.

"You're taking good care of yourself, right Keiichi-kun?" Rena asked innocently as they walked. Keiichi nodded.

"Yeah, I just didn't sleep until late last night." He told her. "I've been kind of stressed lately to, I guess you could say." He uttered sheepishly. Rena was silent for a moment, digesting the information.

"Well, Keiichi-kun can always talk to Rena if he needs to," She told him, sounding more serious than Keiichi had heard in a long time. They were nearing his house by now. He nodded.

"Thanks, Rena. Same goes for me to you,"

Rena smiled happily and shook her head yes. She waved Keiichi bye as he entered his yard. He sighed and leaned his bike up against his house before walking inside.

"I'm home," He called out into the house. It felt good to be home.


Upon waking up in a cold sweat, Satoshi found it all to have been a dream. What it had all meant, he wasn't sure. Afraid? Of himself? His memories? Who was that woman? Why was she always discussing revenge...? Satoshi wished things would make sense for once. He hugged himself tightly and waited for his heart to return to normal. He didn't dream like that when Keiichi was here...yet another thing he depended on the brunette for. Satoshi bit his lip and shook his head. Keiichi...

Satoshi glanced up at the clock in Keiichi's room. He'd only been gone a few hours. Satoshi hung his head. He was feeling lonely. Usually, Keiichi would be here, holding him or offering words of comfort. Satoshi hated the fact of his absence. His own arms around him...just weren't satisfying. He felt empty...hollow...and he hated it. He shouldn't feel so strongly for the other. He shouldn't need to depend on him for everything.

"But...I don't need it..." He spoke to himself quietly. He pulled his legs in and buried his face in his knees, wrapping his arms around his legs to keep them in place.

"I just want it."

The rest of the hours, Satoshi mainly thought to himself over a variety of topics. He worked mainly on remembering all the things he'd forgotten. When he finally got discouraged with his clouded thoughts, he resorted to picking up the contents of the room. He placed all the dirty clothes in the pile Keiichi had started. He neatly stacked all the books and notebooks that Keiichi had cluttered around his room. He even stopped to read a few books, after reading the summary and becoming intrigued. Before he knew it, Keiichi's voice could be heard downstairs. Almost like a puppy, his ears perked up and he rose from his sitting position. He set the book he'd been reading down and tried to ignore the happy, giddy feeling rising in his chest. If he'd actually went through with his escape last night, he wouldn't have made it. It had only been about 7 hours, yet he missed the other more than he'd like to admit.

It felt like Keiichi took forever to clomp up the stairs and enter his room. Satoshi was ready for him as soon as he entered.

"Welcome back," He greeted cheerily. All his worries seemed to have melted away. Keiichi shut his door and dropped his school bag.

"Thanks," Keiichi answered, mustering another smile. His head was throbbing still, but he pushed it away for Satoshi's sake. He silently began to shed his white button up shirt. Satoshi held his breath and prepared to hide his face when Keiichi said,

"Relax, I have an undershirt underneath," He laughed quietly and threw his shirt aside. "Besides, we're both guys."

"Yeah," Satoshi laughed nervously, averting his eyes off to the side. That fact didn't really matter to him; it was still embarrassing. Keiichi let out a long sigh and dragged his feet across the floor to his futon. He collapsed headfirst, a few inches away from the book Satoshi had been reading.

"...You okay?" Satoshi asked offhandedly as he picked the book up and sat in its place. Keiichi nodded slightly and let out a yawn.

"Fine." Came his muffled reply. The brunette turned his head to look at the other. "And you? Weren't too bored I see. Did you clean my room?"

Satoshi stiffened and averted his eyes elsewhere once more.

"Uh...Yeah, kinda." He let a nervous laugh escape his lips. He hoped Keiichi didn't mind. The brunette didn't appear to, seeing as he changed subjects once more.

"What book you pick up?"

Satoshi showed him the cover of the book. Keiichi nodded with a smile.

"That's a good one. Mom introduced it to me. I had no idea who the killer was in the end. I mean-"

Satoshi threw his hands over his ears and shook his head no rapidly.

"I'm not done yet!"

Keiichi couldn't help but laugh, even though his head was throbbing even more. He apologized and assured the other he wouldn't spoil anything. Satoshi held the book against his chest and sighed in relief.

"If you ever get bored, there's tons of books around here. Mom has quite the collection. I can get some for you."

"Ah, that's okay. I still have all yours to finish."

Keiichi let out another yawn as he nodded. He was feeling more drained by the second.

"We should go take a bath." He blurted suddenly after realizing he hadn't taken one the night before.

"E-Eh?" Was Satoshi's immediate reaction. Keiichi glanced up at him, his sleepy eyes half lidded.

"My parents might get suspicious if I started taking two baths a night. So, we'll both need to shower together if they're here."

Satoshi turned away, in order to hide a fighting blush. He couldn't even look at the other undressing, and now they were going to have to bathe together? He couldn't do it. He was too modest.

"Relax, we'll shower separately. Just, one of us will wait in the bathroom til the other finishes. And vice versa." Keiichi had given all this quite a thought while at school today. Keeping Satoshi's existence a secret would prove to be difficult. Much more difficult than hiding a pet. Satoshi fidgeted nervously in his feet, not looking at the other.

"Don't be such a girl," Keiichi joked. "We're men."

Satoshi frowned slightly as he took a deep breath. He could do this.

"We'll need to take on later tonight though, after Mom goes to bed. Dad'll be either in bed or working. So, as long as we wait til then, we'll be fine. Until then, want some food?"

Satoshi nodded meekly. He hated how nervous he felt. It was making it hard to concentrate on anything else. Keiichi stood up.

"Be right back."

Satoshi watched him exit. After he disappeared, the blonde let out a huge sigh.

"I was so happy when he came back...now I'm acting all weird. What's wrong with me?" The blonde rested his chin on his hand. "I blame that creepy dream...Should I tell Keiichi...?"

Keiichi bustled in the door, looking happier again. In his hand was food enough for two and two pairs of chopsticks. When Keiichi handed him his chopsticks, Satoshi couldn't help but smile.

"He already doesn't feel good...I don't want him to worry...It was just a dream...And, besides. Now that he's here, I'll be okay...I'll be okay..."


A/N: AAAAH THAT WAS THE LONGEST CHAPTER YET -collapses-

-jumps back up- Well, I'd like to thank all my lovely reviewers and readers c': I appreciate it so much!